“Modern American conservatism is, in large part, a movement shaped by billionaires and their bank accounts, and assured paychecks for the ideologically loyal are an important part of the system. Scientists willing to deny the existence of man-made climate change, economists willing to declare that tax cuts for the rich are essential to growth, strategic thinkers willing to provide rationales for wars of choice, lawyers willing to provide defenses of torture, all can count on support from a network of organizations that may seem independent on the surface but are largely financed by a handful of ultrawealthy families.”

– Paul Krugman

The picks of the week from around the web.

Paul Krugman on Fox News and the current state of the American Republican Party. This is great, politically indignant writing from one of our great political and economical analysts.

Ward Sutton doing Tea Party cartoons. Chameleon-like, Sutton transforms the American comic strip tradition into reflecting the current political climate on the American right wing. It’s very well done plus funny!

Right Thing the Wrong Way. On the occasion of the current show in Boston, ComicsComics is running excerpts from the catalogue, an oral history of seminal early naughts art comics publisher Highwater Books. It’s pretty great. Part 1, Part 2, ongoing…